We're always looking for new product and new product ideas year-round for our ComputerGear paper and online catalog. If you'd like us to consider your product, here's how to get the quickest response from us:
Send an actual production, complementary sample of your product (no prototypes please) including actual packaging and/or pictures to:
New Product Review Committee
ComputerGear, Inc.
2785 152nd Ave NE
Redmond WA 98052
Don't forget to include wholesale pricing with your sample!
You will receive a written response within 4-6 weeks (sooner if it's a hot item we'd like to offer to our customers in our monthly e-newsletter).
If we don't choose the product, we'll ask you in the letter to issue a UPS call tag if you'd like it returned. (If you don't want it returned, we'll donate it to local charity.)
If we have further interest, we will fax to you a detailed Product Information Sheet for you to fill out and return to us. You're welcome to call us in the office M-F 9-5 PST at 425-883-9052 if you have questions when filling it out.
You'll know from us if your product has been selected as soon as possible. We'll send your our New Vendor Manual at that time. Depending on the product, we may test it first online before we offer it to our catalog customers; let us know if you have digital images available.
If your product doesn't make the next catalog (we ran out of room!), we may request to keep it in our sample room for consideration for the next issue. Please let us know if this is not ok with you ie. "it's your only sample".
Please realize that it takes 3-6 months to produce and mail a paper catalog. Although we may notify you in March that your product may be in the next Fall catalog, it's not in the mail and we don't get orders (ie. we don't need to stock merchandise) until months after we've told you that you're merchandise "made it". Based upon the information you've provided us on the Product Information Sheet as to your lead time, we'll give you lots of notice before you have to ship your first purchase order to us.
A lot of our vendors ask "Why don't you pay for samples?" and "Why do we have to fill out this Product Information Sheet?" We request complementary samples and detailed information of your product for several reasons.
First, if your product is chosen and you have not provided us with high resolution images that our art department has approved for catalog use, we have to take pictures of your sample. In order to show your product at its best, our art department may have to glue, use putty on it, spray-stuff-on-it-so-it-doesn't-shine-so-much, etc. We can not sell the sample when we get it back from those guys!
Secondly, our warehouse is responsible for approving your sample packaging and notifying the buying staff if they see any possible damage claims problems by examining your sample and Product Information Sheet. If your product's accepted, our warehouse makes sure they've ordered the appropriate sized boxes, dunnage, etc. for your product. They're also responsible for checking that what you send us is the correct product, weight, etc. and that it shipped as per our Vendor Manual.
Thirdly, our accounting department and procurement department use the information on the Product Information Sheet to set you up in the computer system to get orders and payments to you.
Lastly, we then take your sample and train our telephone associates with new product classes so they get to actually see and feel what they're selling before the customer even calls! We then keep the sample in our sample room close to our customer care department so if a customer calls and needs to know "How green is the green on the frog?", we can answer his/her question to the best of our ability. And sell YOUR product to the best of OUR ability.
ComputerGear Customer Care